Etc. [pp. 326-334]

826
Etc.
ant will narrate to the inquirer; and a story
called "The Traveler from Turin" turns out
to be nothing else than "Sindbad's Fourth
Voyage."
Among the nursery tales, one recognizes
many versionsof the one known to us as "The
Pig Who Wouldn't Go over the Stile," (where
"The cat began to kill the rat; the rat began to gnaw the rope; the rope began to hang
the butcher; the butcher began to kill the
ox; the ox began to drink the water; the
water began to quench the fire; the fire began to burn the stick; the stick began to
beat the dog; the dog began to bite the
pig; the pig in a fright jumped over the
stile, and so the old woman got home that
night"). In a Sicilian version, Pitidda refuses
to sweep the house until she has a piece of
bread, and, after repeated invocations, the
cat begins to eat the mouse, the mouse begins to gnaw the rope, the rope begins to
choke the cow, the cow begins to drink the
water, the water begins to quench the fire,
the fire begins to burn the stick, the stick begins to kill the dog, the dog begins to kill
the wolf, the wolf begins to kill Pitidda, Pitidda begins to sweep the house, and her
mother runs and gives her some bread. A
near relative of this story is evidently the one
in which an animal is referred from one to
another to get the means of purchasing a
favor, till his request accumulates like this
(from Avellino): "Fountain, give me water;
water I will carry to the forest; forest will
give wood; wood I will carry to the baker;
baker will give bread; bread I will give dog;
dog will give hairs; hairs I will give old woman; old woman will give rags to cure my
[March,
head." One rhymed jingle of the same class
comes from Verona, and is as follows: "What
is this? The Bishop's chamber. What is in
it? Bread and wine. Where is my share?
The cat has eaten it. Where is the cat? The
stick has beaten him. Where is the stick?
The fire has burned it. Where is the fire?
The water has quenched it. Where is the
water? The ox has drunk it. Where is the
ox? Out in the fields. Who is behind there?
My friend Matthew." And so it goes on for
a few more questions. Professor Crane does
not speak of any English analogue to this,
nor have we ever seen any in print, nor
heard any one recall any; but in the present
reviewer's schooldays there was a game, traditional in the country school, which, if memory serves, ran thus: Two players piled
clenched fists alternately on one another's,
prolonging the process till the whole pile had
been twice made; then followed this colloquy: "What have you there? Bread and
cheese. Where's my share? Cat's got it.
Where's the cat? In the woods. Where's the
woods? Fire burned'em. Where's the fire?
Water quenched it. Where's the water? Ox
drank it. Where's the ox? Butcher killed
him. Where's the butcher? Behind the door
cracking nuts. Look out, or he'll cut your
head off," and a scamper and pursuit followed.
Among the "Stories and Jests," is found
an unmistakable cousin to the "Scissors"
story current among ourselves. In this one
the details all differ, except that the woman,
after her head has gone under water, thrusts
her hand above the surface to still maintain
"Scissors!" by a motion of her fingers.
ETC.
THERE would seem to be occasion for some candid
investigation, by some one versed in questions of
public charity, of the alms-giving methods of the
county boards of this State. In Alameda County
there has this year been a great increase in taxation,
which is generally accepted by the people as mysterious, since no especial demand for taxation occurs.
This has rather drawn people's eyes to the transac
tions of the supervisors; and one of the incidental results of a more careful reading of the proceedings of
the board has been astonishment at the increase of
pauperism. Name after name is proposed, first by
one supervisor and then by another; now for admittance to the county poor house, now for out-door relief. The same state of affairs is to be found in other
counties, though nothing has happened to draw at